EANS-News: WACKER Exits from Solar Wafer Business

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Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer/originator is solely
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Utl.: - SCHOTT Solar acquires WACKER's shares in joint venture
- WACKER is expecting from the transaction a non-recurring negative effect on
pre-tax profit of about €50 million, financial debt to increase by some €65
million
- CEO Staudigl: “Focus on polysilicon production provides an excellent base for
long-term competitiveness and profitability” =

Munich / Jena (euro adhoc) - September 30, 2009 - Wacker Chemie AG exits from
the solar wafer business and will transfer its shares in its joint venture
WACKER SCHOTT Solar GmbH (WSS) to its former partner SCHOTT Solar AG. WACKER and
SCHOTT Solar have reached agreement on the key points of a sales transaction
today. The reason for this move is WACKER´s decision to focus its solar
activities from now on exclusively on its core competency which is the
production of hyperpure polycrystalline silicon. SCHOTT Solar, on the other
hand, concentrates on the downstream side of the photovoltaic value chain, the
manufacturing of solar cells and modules. Already in the past, SCHOTT Solar has
absorbed the major part of WSS´s wafer production.

In the context of this transaction, WACKER will perform its respective duties as
a shareholder and will support WSS with a variety of measures. All in all,
Wacker Chemie AG is expecting from its share in WSS a non-recurring negative
impact on pre-tax profit of EURabout EUR50 million as well as an increase in
financial debt of some EUR65 million. The corresponding financial precautions
will be appropriately recorded in the company´s financial statements for Q3
2009.

"Focusing on hyperpure polysilicon production provides an excellent base for our
long-term competitiveness and profitability", says WACKER Group´s CEO Rudolf
Staudigl. "In this field, we can play out our technology leadership and our
strong market position with maximum impact."

WACKER is currently the world´s second largest supplier of polysilicon for the
solar and semiconductor industries and has under way an extensive investment
program for the expansion of its production capacities.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions and
estimates of WACKER´s Executive Board. Although we assume the expectations in
these forward-looking statements are realistic, we cannot guarantee they will
prove to be correct. The assumptions may harbor risks and uncertainties that may
cause the actual figures to differ considerably from the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may cause such discrepancies include, among other
things, changes in the economic and business environment, variations in exchange
and interest rates, the introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance
for new products or services, and changes in corporate strategy. WACKER does not
plan to update the forward-looking statements, nor does it assume the obligation
to do so.

Further inquiry note:
Christof Bachmair
Media Relations & Information
Tel.: +49 (0)89 6279 1830
E-Mail: [email protected]
Ende der Mitteilung euro adhoc
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issuer: Wacker Chemie AG
Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4
D-81737 München
phone: +49 (0) 89 6279 01
FAX: +49 (0) 89 6279 1770
mail: [email protected]
WWW: http://www.wacker.com
sector: Chemicals
ISIN: DE000WCH8881
indexes: Midcap Market Index, MDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share, HDAX, Prime All
Share
stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt
language: English

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